CONWAY, S.C. – The Ohio State baseball team rallied with six runs in the final two innings to beat No. 21 Coastal Carolina, 7-5, Sunday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium. With their second ranked win of the year, the Buckeyes improve to 9-6 overall, while the Chanticleers drop to 12-5 overall in 2018. Ohio State finishes action at the 2018 Environmental Chanticleer Classic with a 2-2 record.

QUOTE FROM COACH“Even though we were down in the middle of the game, I really liked how we were competing,” head coach Greg Beals said. “We were making plays and pitching the ball well. The think I liked the most is the fight in this team. This group of young men have a lot of fight in them. It was very evident with six runs in the last two innings to bust open a ball game for us. Big win for us and I liked how we went about it. A lot of guys got in the ball game. We used a lot of pieces today, on the mound and on the offensive side. We showed the confidence we have in them and gave them shots to put them in an opportunities to help this ball club win.”

IN THE BOX SCORENoah McGowan was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, home run and two RBI. His fifth homer in 2018 in the top of the ninth turned out to be two big runs for the Scarlet and Gray. Nate Romans had the big two-run double in the eighth inning to give the team the lead. Conner Pohl and Dillon Dingler each had a pair of hits in the game. Noah West was 2-for-4 with a double and hit by pitch. Tyler Cowles wa 2-for-4 with a run scored, double and walk.

RUN IN THE FIRSTPohl got the Buckeyes on the board first in the top of the first when he found some green on an opposite field single through the left side. Brady Cherry scored on the play.

NO RUNS FOR AWHILE Both teams were kept off the scoreboard for the next five innings. The Buckeyes left a runner on in the second and third fames. West was hit by a pitch in the top of the fifth and Cherry singled to center field, but a strikeout kept it 1-0. In the sixth, Pohl and Dingler each knocked their second base hits of the afternoon, however, CCU reliever Davie Inman got a strikeout and fly out to strand both runners.

COASTAL GRABS THE LEADThe Chanticleers struck the dish two times in the bottom of the sixth to gain their only lead of the day. Starting pitcher Adam Niemeyer was relieved by right-handed reliever Kyle Michalik with runners on the corners and no down. A walk loaded the bases before a RBI single through the left side by Michael Koenig tied the game. Turner Buis knocked in the go-ahead run on a sac fly.

EIGHTH INNING RALLYOhio State battled back in the top of the eighth vs. the CCU bullpen. The OSU bats scored three times on three hits to take the lead. McGowan led off the at-bat with a single and Pohl walked. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch by CCU left-handed reliever Dylan Gentry allowed McGowan to score. Romans then wacked a 1-0 pitch off Gentry to left center to make it a 4-3 game. Pinch-hitter Andrew Fishel drove in the team’s fifth run with a RBI single to right.

INSURANCE PLEASEOhio State added two runs in the top of the ninth when McGowan launched his fifth homer of the year to make it a 7-3 contest. He has a Big Ten-best 24 RBI through 15 games.

STARTER TALKNiemeyer had his strongest start of the year in a no decision performance. He scattered four hits on two runs with four walks and four strikeouts in five innings of work.

TO THE BULLPENMichalik allowed two hits and one walk in one inning. Left-handed reliever Andrew Magno gave up a run with one walk. Right-handed reliever Seth Kinker threw the final two innings and improved to 2-1 on the year. He gave up two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk. He ended the game on a called strike three with the tying run on first base.

UP NEXTOhio State heads to UNC-Wilmington to a two-game series Tuesday-Wednesday at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C.

GAME NOTES

Ohio State concludes action at the 2018 Environmental Staffing Chanticleer Classic with a 2-2 record.

Cowles extended his team-high hit streak to career-high 11 games. He’s reached base in all 15 games in 2018 (career-high).

McGowan has a team-high five home runs, 19 runs scored, 25 hits, six doubles and 24 RBI through 15 games.

Cowles finished the weekend with a .500 average (8-for-16) with three doubles, two home runs, two walks, stolen base and five RBI.

The Buckeyes batted .295 as a team over the four games and knocked 18 extra-base hits, including nine home runs.

RANDOM NOTES FROM AROUND THE BALL PARK

Another early morning for the boys. The early-bird Buckeyes. Today marked the sixth time the group had a first pitch at/before 11 a.m. local time this year. And it was actually a 10 a.m. first pitch as the clocks sprung ahead overnight with Daylight Savings. The team woke up on the bus like any other gameday morning, this time with a little more country music before going more electronic as we got closer to the park. A nice, smooth transition of high-quality sound.

Coastal SI8D Mike Cawood (who made the random notes a season-high three straight days) had breakfast ready for the patrons of the press box. Delicious donuts were provided. There was even free gum by the game notes table too! OSU football SID and former baseball SID Jerry Emig would be proud.

One of the duties for the pitchers during BP…home run watch. Relievers Kyle Michalik, Austin Woodby and Andrew Magno were tasked with the ball park chore. But it didn’t look much like a tough task this morning. They were seen feet up in some of the Coastal teal Adirondack chairs located behind the right center field wall, taking it all in. Ready for the next Buckeye dinger to come their direction. Somewhere on the beach you could say, 15 miles inland from Myrtle.

Athletic trainers are talented and crafty individuals. Seth Kinker apparently broke the tap on the team’s water cooler before the game. Help was on the way and Paul Dawson was ready. Using a pair of scissors and some nifty athletic tape, he fixed the problem in just four minutes. Not all heroes wear capes.